The present invention relates to locking devices in general and more particularly to a locking device for directional control valves to protect against the intentional and/or unintentional adjustment of the valve handle from a desired position.
In typical directional control valve systems, whether liquid or gas, the selected operating position of the handle of the valve thereof may be essential to the proper operation and functioning of the system as a whole. The improper positioning of the handle or the intentional or unintentional adjustment of the valve handle may result in a complete malfunction of the system, often with serious and dangerous consequences. Accordingly, it is often desirable to securely lock directional control valves at one or more desired operating positions to prevent intentional tampering and unauthorized or otherwise inadvertent manipulation of the valve handle from the desired operating position.
Directional control valves are commonly used for general purpose and heavy-duty industrial applications. It is desirable to secure or lock valves in a desired operating position in nearly all applications. Unfortunately, tampering with industrial operations is often a great temptation to certain people, or organizations, by unauthorized manipulation of the valves to interrupt or interfere with industrial productions. Alternatively, unauthorized manipulation of valves can simply be the result of inadvertent misuse or accidental mistakes. Occupational health and safety organizations, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other workplace and industrial oversight organizations, advocate more control over the operation of directional control valves. The ability to securely lock directional control valves in the desired operating positions avoids many, if not all, of the described problems, which in turn avoids potential catastrophic and/or injurious conditions in industrial and other settings.
Many of the known valve locking devices are expensive, complex, difficult to manufacture and install, interfere with the normal operation of the valve, and require many parts in order to be adapted to a valve. Because of this, field personnel often improvise and hastily create a roughly constructed, makeshift mechanism to lock a valve in its desired position. The inadequacy of the makeshift mechanism often leads to unsafe conditions. For example, an extremely important safety procedure in many industries, the oil and gas industry for example, is the “lockout/tagout” procedure to ensure workers remain safe while servicing or repairing equipment by making it physically impossible to change the desired operating position. An effective locking device for valves during “lockout/tagout” is important to prevent unsafe conditions. Failure of having an adequate locking device could lead to property damage, serious injury or death.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a relatively inexpensive yet secure, simple, effective and easily implemented locking device for valves which may be virtually universally adapted for mounting and operation on almost all conventional directional control valves for use in any number of applications and/or environments to prevent the unauthorized, inadvertent or otherwise undesired manipulation of directional control valves from a desired operating position.